Global Entrepreneurship Week off to a great start

16 November 2016

As part of Global Entrepreneurship week (14-19 November), Wales vocational learners have been part of a variety of innovative events.

Bridgend College kicked things off by hosting the ‘Have A Go’ Skills Fair on Monday 14 November, which saw hundreds of local school pupils get involved with a wide range of challenging college department activities, from hairdressing to electronics and even to hula hooping! This hands-on activity was also enjoyed by the Taro’r Post team from BBC Radio Cymru, with presenter Garry Owen joining in and also broadcasting the programme live from the event.

Throughout the week, colleges around Wales are supporting learners to put their ideas into action. Some colleges are organising pop up surgeries for start-up business advice, business planning, through to pitching advice for learners.

Later in the week, talented learners from across Wales will be at The Skills Show 2016 at the NEC in Birmingham to support the 86 Welsh entrants who are competing on a global scale at the show. Wales has the highest number of competitors of the four UK nations and ColegauCymru / CollegesWales will be showcasing their talents and successes in the next edition of their newsletter, due in December.

Chief Executive of ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, Iestyn Davies, said: “This week is a great opportunity to champion the impressive opportunities available to learners who study at their local FE institutions. Staff from across the fourteen FE colleges in Wales have led their learners to new heights of achievement and put Wales firmly on the map. As the amount of competitors at The Skills Show 2016 demonstrates, our colleges are growing achievers which will benefit the economy here in Wales. The Skills Show performance by Wales shows once again how engaging with your local FE college as a learner or a business can reap benefits for Wales and beyond.”

Barry Liles, Principal of Coleg Sir Gâr and Wales’ Skills Show ambassador said “Once again Wales is again punching well above its weight in being the leading region of the UK with the greatest number of competitors selected to appear in the finals at The Skills Show 2016. With the competitions now under way Wales has to capitalise on this advantage and convert participation into medals. I can speak with confidence that colleges from Wales will once again this year be highly placed in the medal rankings table. I wish all competitors the very best of luck and congratulate them for achieving their place at the Skills Show representing their employer, college and Wales.”